


Before It Dies

by orphan_account



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU - pet!verse, F/M, Gen, I'm Sorry, It's a work in progress so be patient, Unfinished, also there was a crappy version of this on ff.net, pet!Cas, pet!Gabriel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-08
Updated: 2013-08-08
Packaged: 2017-12-22 20:56:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/917934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean had never been one for pets; it was Sam that was the animal lover. He really wanted nothing more than to ignore the mewling little winged beast, but something in him told him that he couldn't do that. Not without feeling horrible and incredibly guilty. It was a short inner struggle in which he berated himself for ever thinking that he could leave this baby angel in an alley alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Before It Dies

The streets were dark and everything seemed just a little out of kilter. There was a quiet humming coming from each bar on the strip, music being played loud enough to hear from outside but still quiet enough to pass local laws. There was a sudden blare of music as a door opened and shut. A drunk young man walked out of a bar and staggered over to a black car with beautiful silver trim. She was a '67 Chevy Impala, and she belonged to the man now resting against her.

The man was called Dean Winchester and he had turned twenty six not two weeks ago. His clothes were a little big, but not by much. They were cheap, bought to carry with him on the run rather than to base his true style upon. He was wearing a thick, worn leather jacket on top of a thin T shirt. His jeans were torn up around the hem. The sneakers he was wearing were faded and scuffed, but he managed to pull the whole look off. Scruffy stubble on his chin and all.

He wrapped his jacket closer around himself, burying his hands deep into the pockets, keeping out the chill of the rain and the damp that seemed to drench everything. It was a truly horrible night, and Dean was most definitely not happy that he was more than drunk enough to be unable to drive his Baby home. It played on his face, the twitch of his lips and the slight scowl resting on his brow. He'd have to pick her up from the parking lot tomorrow morning sometime.

Dean began to walk down the road, leaving his Baby behind him. The slight drizzle decreased visibility and he seemed to travel the road quite quickly. Searching for a better way to his little brother's house, he turned down into an alley (which was probably not the smartest move he could have made). He was cold and hungry and really, really need to get into the warmth as soon as he could or else he was gonna snap. The wind was just picking up, it was starting to look like this might be something that hung around for a while.

He looked up from the pavement beneath his feet and scuffed trainers just in time to see something that turned his stomach. He felt physically sick at the sight in front of him, his heart constricted and he had goosebumps that weren't from the rain. He hurried forwards and knelt down, peering through the growing darkness. There a soggy cardboard box lying on the sidewalk; it was damp from the rain, to the point where it was folding in on itself. There was something in it, something small.

The thing in the box was about the size of a small kitten, all hair and wings at odds with each other. He was absolutely tiny, even for an angel. Angels were a big thing, especially in the Hollywood hills. They were some kind of cross breed of ape and bird, but aside from the paws and tails they managed to look almost human. They only grew to the size of a small kid, even when they were fully grown, and most didn't grow much hair either.

This one was almost exactly like a miniature human boy, but he had really dark wings - almost jet black, or an extremely dark blue - sprouting from his back and his eyes were a gorgeous sky blue. He was adorable, but he was crying; sobbing hard and whining between his breaths. His wings were covering a lot of his face and taking most of the force of the rain, which was falling pretty hard now. He was sitting in the remains of the box, and Dean noticed the running magic marker ink scrawled on the front: 'Take it before it dies'.

Dean had never been one for pets; it was Sam that was the animal lover. He really wanted nothing more than to ignore the mewling little winged beast, but something in him told him that he couldn't do that. Not without feeling horrible and incredibly guilty. It was a short inner struggle in which he berated himself for ever thinking that he could leave this baby angel in this alley alone.

He reached into the box; the angel squealed and hid beneath his wings, covering his eyes with his hands and trembling. It was achingly pitiful, and Dean knew that he would never forget it. He murmured some sweet nothings and scooped up the angel into his arms.

"Wow, you're one heavy son of a bitch." He muttered to the angel in his arms. "Come on, I'm taking you home.” And then, to no-one in particular, “Sammy's gonna kill me."

Dean moved the angel around so it was an easier weight to carry. In the time it took him to do that, the angel had managed to get his legs wrapped half around Dean's waist. His nails were more like claws as he latched onto Dean. Dean looked down at the sniffling little thing and felt a pang in his heart. He decided to look after him for a night or two, until the tiny angel could be passed on to someone else that wanted him.

He was freezing, shivering and crying pitifully. Small noises that reminded Dean of a sick child. They were the kind of noises Sammy used to make in his sleep when he had a chest infection, or when he couldn't breathe because of his colds. He hoped the angel wasn't going to get sick, he couldn't afford the medical bills without busting open another bank.

He pulled the little angel into his leather jacket, pressing lightly on his wings to keep them out of harms way, and zipped it up around the pair of them. The angel clung to him with those vicious little nails and nuzzled at Dean's neck. Dean even managed to smile at him and wrap his big arms around him tighter, to hold the angel closer to Dean's chest. He could feel himself beginning to shiver too as the cold air got to him. They both needed to get out of this rain and cold night air as soon as possible. Dean balanced the angel on his arms and cradled him tight like a baby.

"C'mon buddy." He muttered to the angel, "I'm gonna get you somewhere nice and warm and you're gonna be okay."

The angel sneezed, covering Dean's already soaked neck in snot... Or whatever angels had that passed for snot. He sighed heavily and begin to hurry home; hunkering, head down. The angel's wings were already straining under the leather jacket to get free.

 

* * *

 

"Dean?" Sam's eyes popped when he saw his brother stagger up the steps to their shared home. He noticed the little thing wrapped around Dean's chest, its small hands wrapped around his neck. The angel had been making noises ever since Dean picked it up, ranging from sobs to almost cooing. "Is that an angel?"

"No, it's a fucking mermaid." Dean snapped. His head had been hurting for a while as he walked home and he was too cold to even move properly. Everything was wet, his t-shirt was soaked through and so was the animal attached to him. Dean ripped off his jacket the second he got in the door. "Help me get him into a hot shower and then we can find him some clothes or something that'll keep him warm."

Sam pushed the door to the bathroom open and Dean stumbled into the room, still holding the freezing angel to his chest. His face was pressed against Dean's collarbone and his breathing was slow. Both of the Winchester boys were seriously worried about him - even Sam, who had only gotten a few half glances at the pitiful thing.

Dean detached the angel from his chest and placed him in a bundle of towels freshly ripped from the radiator. He kicked off his shoes and ripped off his socks, flinging them to the corner of the bathroom. The dark winged thing snuggled into the towels as Dean stripped his shirt and jeans off and climbed into the bath. The older Winchester detached the shower head and let the water run until it was warm to the touch.

He waved at Sam to put the angel into the tub, but it had decided to cling to the younger brother's wrist. Those nails could tear into his skin in a second if the angel wanted them to. The three of them ended up in a sort of bundle around the tub; Sam on the outside, one wrist dragged in by the little angel, who was perched on Dean's lap.

The still semi-drunk hunter ran the water over the tiny angel's shoulders, stroking along the soft feathers that grew between his shoulder blades and along his spine. He was actually quite fluffy, a soft layer of down covering his skin across his chest and stomach.The shorts he was wearing were dark blue, and small enough to have belonged to a doll at some point. Dean made a mental note to buy some new ones later on, as he pried them off of the small body. The angel was none too happy about being bereft of his shorts but the warm water rushing over his head made his wings flutter, and he let out a noise somewhere between a chirp and a purr that got caught in his throat. 

Dean turned off the shower and climbed out. The angel tried to follow, but found he couldn’t even reach the rim of the tub. His attempt was adorable, but in vain. His height made it a practical impossibility. Dean laughed softly as he reached out for the struggling angel, and wrapped him up in a towel. Sam stood by the door with another towel held out for Dean, his eyes taking in the happy little angel and his older brother's face. Dean let Sam drape the towel over his shoulders as he rocked the little winged boy in his arms. He even hummed Metallica. 

The angel's eyes slipped shut and his breathing seemed better, more in control. Dean put him down on the pile of towels Sam had constructed, covering him with a few of them to keep him warm. Sam smirked at Dean and sat on the toilet, peering down at the sleeping pet.

"We keeping him?"

Dean shook his head as he towelled himself dry, "Can't. We're both so busy."

Sam shrugged, "I was gonna take time off to work on my-"

"Don't, please." Dean moaned, "My head hurts and this guy's gonna need someone with him in the morning and..." He trailed off. Sam was looking at him, the way he looked when he knew his brother lying to him but wouldn't call him out on it straight away. Dean realised he was being given a chance to admit to something. "Okay fine, we'll try it out."

Sam grinned at his brother, one of those big Sammy grins that lit up his whole face and made Dean's heart warm and fluttery. "You're not gonna regret it, I promise."

 

* * *

 

Dean regretted it. He woke up on the bathroom floor with a small angel poking his face and fluttering his wings. It almost seemed to be some sort of laughter of his - the wing fluttering, not the poking people in the face.

His eyes were an even more stunning blue in the light of morning, and they matched the shiny black-blue of his wings; Dean wondered how he could have missed that before. But then he remembered last night, and he realised he was a bit too preoccupied with making sure the angel didn't die of cold to notice much more about him.

"Hey, little man." Dean grinned, rolling over and picking up his jeans. "How are you feeling, huh?"

The little angel boy grinned at him and stood up; he didn't even reach Dean's knee. Dean picked him up in one hand and grabbed a towel with the other. He bundled the angel up and carried him out of the bathroom. His wings fluttered as his lemur-like eyes took in the sights around him.

"I guess I better introduce myself to you properly," Dean muttered almost under his breath as he put the boy down on the couch, "I'm Dean."

The angel pulled at Dean's arm and pointed to his lips. Dean crouched down beside him, willing to watch whatever he was going to do. He focused so hard his brow furrowed. Out of his mouth came what seemed to be a mangled version of Dean's name. "'Ean."

Dean did a double take. He had no idea angels could talk. Shit. He'd best stop swearing around the little guy then, didn't want him picking up bad habits, not like Sammy did. Dean manage a shaky smile and a thumbs up. "Dean." He said again, slowing it down this time. "Duh-ean."

The angel wrinkled his nose and looked at the man in front of him with determination. "Duh-ean."

"Yeah!" Dean grinned, properly this time. He remembered doing this with Sammy; the whole talking thing was a lot of fun. But it took ages to get a human kid to learn anything and this angel was learning really quickly. "I'm Dean."

"Duhean." The angel mumbled. "Duhean."

Dean sighed, and ruffled the angel's hair as gently as he could. Dean realised just how small the angel really was, how young he must be. "Alright then, if that's what you want to call me."

The angel grinned and pointed to himself, "Casss." He hissed his ‘s’ out longer than he needed to, which left him confused when he finished it. He had run out of breath but he wasn't sure how that had happened. Dean felt himself get a little more attached to the little guy as he looked down at his hands, splaying his fingers out. His wings stretched out too, reaching across the couch. Fuck, they were a lot bigger than they looked.

Dean carefully reached out and touched the tip of his wings. They were soft, silky almost. The light rippled across them, turning the black to blue. They really were astonishing. Cas made them flutter under Dean's fingertips, and Dean smirked at him. "Okay, I'm Dean and you're Cas."

His wings fluttered excitedly. A smile played on his face as he grabbed Dean's index finger with both of his tiny hands. He pointed to himself with the finger and then bit it. Dean wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but the little angel's teeth were fucking sharp. He bit back a curse and detached himself from the angel.

Sam stood in the kitchen, watching the pair of them. He had a bundle of old clothes in his arms. Dean watched as he spread them out over the counter of the kitchen, peering at each one and removing anything that looked too big or too small. Each one looked more than a few years old, and Dean recognised a lot of them. These were all of his and Sam's baby clothes. He pointed to a top that was about the same colour as Cas's eyes. "He'll like that."

Sam gave Dean an amused smile and put the shirt to one side. He picked up a few more bits and pieces and then shoved them towards his brother across the table. "You like him... Go look after him."

Dean shook his head and stood up, he wandered into the kitchen area that Sam was stood in. He really just needed coffee and ten minutes to sit down and absorb the fact that last night he adopted an ang- a small child. Because, really, that's all that Cas was. "I'm gonna call Bobby, you go dress him. We'll take him over later."

Sam sighed heavily and aimed a swipe at Dean's face. The older brother ducked and laughed, he then aimed a shove right into the middle of his little brother's back. Sam missed a step but regained his balance and shot Dean a look filled with annoyance. "Really?"

"You started it."

He sighed again and flipped Dean off. Dean smirked back and started making himself a cup of coffee. None of that rebrew stuff from yesterday, he deserved a brand new batch. He was too busy thinking about coffee to notice that Sam was struggling with Cas and the clothes.

"Dean, I can't. He won't- OW!" Sam shouted. Dean turned to look at them. The angel was wrapped around his brother's wrist, his teeth sunk into Sammy's finger. Cas' wings were wrapped around him, like a protective shield.

"He did that to me too." Dean frowned. Sam looked at him with the bitchiest bitchface he could muster. "What?" Dean said defensively.

"He's hungry, Dean!" Sam sighed. He cupped Cas in one hand and wandered into the kitchen. Cas was still gnawing on his fingers, almost like a puppy with a chewtoy. Dean had to fight the urge to go and get a camera, because the scene was precious. Sam looked at him. "What the hell do they even eat?"

"Uh..." Dean didn't know, no one had looked it up. "I don't know?"

That answer earned him yet another bitchface from Sam. Jeez, how many of different versions of that same face could one man make? "Look it up, asshole."

Dean let Sam have that one. After all, Dean's pet angel was eating his hand. Dean dragged his laptop to the kitchen table and flicked it on. Sam put Cas down on the table next to him, and seated himself on the same side.

"Coffee." Dean muttered as he typed the question into google. "And food."

Sam sighed heavily - he was nearly ready to get up and leave Dean to his own devices at this point - and heaved himself out of the chair. He came back a few seconds later with half a pie in a metal casing. Dean looked up at him and fluttered his eyelashes. "Pie? For me? What did I do to deserve this?"

Sam responded with a gentle smack around the back of the head. Dean chuckled and put the pie down on the table. "Cas," the angel's huge eyes locked onto his, "don't touch that. That's mine."

"Casss." The angel agreed with him, nodding his head. His wings were fluttering behind his back. "Casss."

Sam came back to the table again with two cups of coffee as Dean was scrolling through a boring page full of what not to feed your pets. "Ah, here. 'Angels. Feed warm milk and Crowley brand Angel Chow. They won't need anything more!' Well, that's bullshit."

Sam nodded in agreement with Dean. "Total bullshit. What's in the Angel Chow? It's like, dog food right? So that's meat and vegetables?"

"I think so." Dean took a sip of his coffee. "We should really call Bobby, he knows these things."

"I'll do it. Don't worry, you've still got to clothe the angel. He's running around butt naked." Sam pointed to Cas to demonstrate his point.

Dean looked at the angel, whose wings were wrapped around his body. The thick downy feathers that coated his back also ran down his front, like Dean's own tummy trail. Dean didn't really see the problem with letting him run around naked - the little angel didn't have anything to display... Plus, no one else felt the need to dress their dogs in clothes. "Sam-"

"Ssssssm." The angel murmured. He sounded like he was purring. "Ssssssm."

Sam laughed and turned Cas to face him. "Suh-Ah-Mm. Sam."

Cas blinked twice and opened his mouth. There was a few seconds of silence before the angel murmured, "Sssam."

"Yeah, that's it." Sam smiled at him. God, Dean thought, my brother's smile lights up his whole freaking face. Dean really loved seeing Sam happy like this. Keeping Cas was probably a stupid idea, but he couldn't deny that he would like to. Especially if it meant Sammy would smile more.

 

* * *

 

"Hey, Bobby." Sam grinned at him. Dean was on his doorstep with the small angel in his arms. Cas was busy trying to eat Dean's necklace; he'd taken a liking to the small amulet that Sam had given him when they were younger. The angel had his chubby fist wrapped around it and was half choking Dean, but the hunter didn't mind really.

Together, the boys had managed to get Cas into the top and shorts they'd picked out for him. Both were way too big on his slim frame, but he was happily fluttering his wings by the time the ordeal was over. Dean convinced Sam to cut wing holes into the shirt and stitch them up so the shirt wouldn't rip. Sam had only reluctantly agreed after seeing what would happen otherwise, but he still muttered about Dean owing him big time. Dean, of course, just nodded and went along with it.

Bobby looked over Dean, peered at Sam, and then he looked at the angel properly. Sam stood to one side as Dean crept forwards with the pet in arms. Bobby sighed and opened the door properly. "So this is your urgent problem. Coulda said you were bringing a pet, idjits."

Sam pulled Bobby into a tight hug, which promptly dismissed the grumpy attitude of the man. Bobby tried to hide his smile and failed. "I haven't seen you in ages. How are you?"

Bobby hugged him back, looking rather amused that the boy he'd watched grow up was now taller than him. He squeezed Sam tight and clapped him on the back. "I'm fine, I'm fine. How're you? And your father?"

Sam nodded. "Dad's... Well, Dad. And I'm great, but... Dean brought this little guy home and now we need to work out what to do with him."

Dean let Cas climb up his chest and over his shoulder. Cas squeaked and climbed back up, so he was perched on his owner's shoulder. He looked like an odd parody of a parrot, which would have made Dean a weird pirate. Bobby turned to look at them both, shook his head with a bemused smile on his face and turned on his heel. He headed into the kitchen with both Dean and Sam following his trail.

In the homely kitchen of Bobby Singer's house, there was a table piled high with books and papers. He took a seat and nodded at the fridge. Sam opened the fridge and takes out three ice cold beers and popped the tops. He offered them around, and each man took one. Dean sat at the table with the beer in his hands and the angel nibbling at his ear. Bobby shot him a look that was clearly thinly veiled confusion.

Dean sighed and began talking. "Last night, I found Cas," (at his name the angel fluttered his wings and echoed with his over enthusiastic 'Casss'), "in a box in an alley. It was raining pretty hard and he was crying and... He was gonna die, so I brought him home and now, well, I don't know? We're kinda stuck with him, I guess?"

"So, you boys bring him to me instead of a vet?" Bobby shook his head. "You're worse than Garth."

Dean bristled a bit at the accusation. But Sam just laughed. "I guess we are, alright. Well... I guess we should take him to a vet?"

"You'll wanna go to Amelia's place. She's good, fixed up the kitten Garth brought back here a few months ago. Damn cat lives in the yard now." Bobby grumbled.

"You kept it?" Dean asked, wincing as Cas bit his thumb. The old man nodded, and then his face lit up like he'd just had an amazing idea. Bobby shot Dean a smug look and pulled his laptop out from under yet another pile. How many piles can one old, crazy, paranoid bastard have in his house? Seriously.

He typed something surprisingly fast for an old guy and spun the laptop to face him. The first words he read were, 'Angels can be removed from their nests when they're old enough to walk. Usually this is around seven or eight weeks.'

"So?" He muttered, letting Cas use him like a jungle gym. Dean had the angel perched on his shoulder and trying to climb onto his head, which was mildly amusing for Bobby and Sam.

"So," Bobby sighed, "he's only a few weeks, look at him. Can he walk?"

"...don't know." Dean muttered. Neither of the boys had ever seen him try, because they both ended up carrying him around everywhere. Dean stood up and walked to the middle of the hallway, put the angel down and walked back to the kitchen doorway. There, he waited to see what the child would do.

Sam came to stand behind him, and Bobby peered over both their shoulders to see what Cas was going to do. "If he breaks anything, you're paying for it."

Cas stared up at the three of them with impossibly big, blue eyes and he looked like he was going to cry. His bottom lip was just starting to quiver as they watched. Shit. Dean kneeled down quickly and held his arms open to the babe, "Come on, Cas. Come here."

Cas blinked the tears away and started crawling towards him, each movement a perfectly performed dance move. He was so goddamn cute and he really shouldn't have been. He was disheveled, with his hair all messy and his knees scraped up from the floor, the clothes he was wearing too big for him and his wings folded up behind him, but he was. He was absolutely adorable.

Sam and Bobby were discussing something behind Dean, both of them sounded angry and serious, but quiet. Part of him wanted to know exactly what they were discussing, but the other - larger - part of him wanted to stay and wait for Cas to reach him.

"Dean," Bobby placed one hand on Dean's shoulder as he bundled Cas up, "he's too little to be out of his nest. He has to have somewhere to sleep. Probably a pile of blankets and toys, somewhere dark, warm and secluded. Keep him safe, he can't defend himself. You need to take him to a vet now."

"Nest. Pile. Blankets. Dark. Warm. Safe. Got it." Dean nodded. He shot Bobby a smile that he meant with all of his heart. Both Winchester boys loved Bobby, even if they didn't actually tell him. He was pretty much a father to the pair of them, but they're not going to admit to things like that. "Cas," Dean murmured to the angel, "say Bobby."

Cas frowned at him and bit his thumb. "Casss."

"Bobby." Dean repeated, looking Cas in the eye.

"Boo." He squeaked, a small crinkle above his nose appeared as he concentrated. He giggled and made a weird little coughing noise.

"Not Boo," Dean tapped his nose, "Bobby."

"Boo." Cas said, going cross eyed looking at Dean's finger. He reached out to grab it, but Dean's already learnt his lesson, and he drew his hand back. Cas looked a little disappointed, but it didn't last long.

"Bob." Maybe if he could learn this, it would be easier. Dean said it to Cas again, "Bob."

"Bob!" Cas shouted as loud as he could. "Bob! Bob! Bob!" Each name was a small popping noise in his mouth. He sounded a lot like he was popping gum, which was almost cute. But the volume wasn't anywhere near cute. How the fuck did something so small make a noise so loud?

Dean pushed his fingers against Cas's soft lips and he shut up, completely surprised. Dean smiled at him and said it again, "Bobby."

Sam and Bobby were both watching him, and Cas paused to look at Dean's lips. He frowned, just like he did when he was trying to say Dean's name. That little crinkle between his brows was sweet. "Bob-bee. Bobee. Bobee!"

Bobby smiled behind his beard. Sam patted him on the shoulder and said, "Should hear what he does to my name."

"SSSSAAMM!"

 

* * *

 

Bobby waved the Winchesters off from the door of his house. He was already obscured by the rain that had just started to fall when they got into the car, but the vague shape was still recognisable. Dean and Sam bundled into the impala, warm plush seats swallowed them up. Cas was placed on the back seat behind Sam and Dean started the car.

They glided out of Bobby's yard; the rusted cars around them were incredibly depressing in the grey drizzle. Dean kept his eye on the rear mirror as they turned onto the main road. Bobby was a good man and a better friend, but he lived in the ass end of nowhere and it took forever to get anywhere. He let Sam fiddle with the music as they drove. Something Dean'd never heard of before came on the radio and Sam let it stay there, filling the car with awful music.

Ten minutes into the drive home Dean felt like something was wrong, his hunter sense was tingling. There was something not quite right here. He slowed down the car and turned to look around, Sam was starring out the window and doing that stupid thinking face of his... He turned all the way around and look for Cas.

He wasn't in his seat. Dean hit the breaks and Sam was slammed out of his daydreaming or whatever it was that he had been doing. There was a small, surprised "oof" from the floor of the back of the impala. Both boys turned around to see Cas on the floor, on his back, looking like he was about to cry.

"Shit!" Dean muttered. "I'm sorry, Cas."

Sam reached out to the angel, Cas rolled into an upright position and grabbed Sam's hands. Sam cradled him in his arms because Cas' enormous blue eyes were filled with tears and his lip was quivering. "Cas, don't cry. It's okay." He muttered over and over, rocking the angel back and forth. Cas clung to him and sniffled, but didn't cry.

Dean heaved a sigh of relief and started driving again. Keeping an eye on an angel is a lot more work than either brother thought it would be. A hell of a lot more work. Dean realised he was going to have to do something incredibly Sam-like and research. The thought almost bored him to tears.

Cas was entertaining himself by trying to eat Sam's hair and scratch his face. "Sssam!" Cas giggled, "Ssammy!" Sam was laughing too, but he got caught by one of those sharp nails and the laughter stopped.

"Ouch. That's bad, Cas. Bad." Sam scolds Cas. Cas makes a small noise like an upset puppy. He knows how to play you, but Sam's a different story altogether. Sam doesn't fall for it and he stands Cas up. "Cas, that is bad."

Dean shot them both a look. Sam had Cas held at arm length and Cas was standing on the dashboard, waving his short little arms around in front of him. His wings were folded, but Dean was acutely aware that if unfolded them his sight of the road would be more than compromised.

"Sam, can you hold him closer to you?"

"He's trying to eat me, Dean." Sam said with that dry 'I don't have time for this' voice of his. Dean was pretty sure that he was the only person Sam used it on.

"Well, if you want to crash..."

Sam sighed and held the angel in his arms, keeping the little bugger pressed against his broad chest.

 

* * *

 

About two hours later Dean and Sam were sat in a vet's waiting room; Cas was perched on Dean's lap looking at a fluffy cat in a box. Cas was hypnotised by the mewling thing, his small hands reach out for it over and over. He kept hitting Dean in an attempt to get him to let go and it was starting to frustrate Dean, but it amused Sam.

Sam was flicking through one of those pet care magazines, pointing out the angel articles to Dean. "Winchester, Cas?" The woman at the desk called out. Dean balanced Cas on his hip (this would be so much easier if he was a woman) and walked over to her. She smiled at him and pointed to a door. "Through there."

"Thanks." He nodded and wandered into the room, Sam close behind him. There was a cold metal table in the centre of the room and Dean especially was very wary of it. Cas seemed to feel the unease of both boys, and clung to Dean. His sharp nails dug into Dean's skin hard enough to leave marks, but he didn't draw blood so Dean was kind of okay with it. Dean hugged Cas to his chest and waited for the vet to come in.

The door opened up and a very pretty young woman with a nest of curly hair came into the room, her smile very white and absolutely huge. "Winchester, huh?" She looked over both boys.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "Bobby said you were the best."

"Bobby Singer... Well, isn't he a sweetheart." She grinned, holding out her arms for Cas. Dean attempted to pass him over but the angel clung to him. Amelia smiled and tickled Cas' armpits, the angel squirmed and then his grip disappeared. He sat in Amelia's arms, not completely okay with the stranger but not worrying too much about it either. His blue eyes were tracing every inch of her face, as if trying to commit her to memory. Cas was a lot smarter than he was given credit for, to be perfectly honest.

Amelia put Cas down on the table and ran her hands over his wings expertly. It was just a gentle touch; with her thumb and finger she made Cas spread them out and she patted them down, looking for injuries. She looked at his eyes and his teeth and she listens to his heart. She even clipped his nails with tiny pink nail clippers, which Dean found rather amusing. Cas tried to take them from her, but Amelia put them away.

"Okay. That's enough." Amelia smiled at Cas as she drew her hand from the pocket she'd hidden the clippers in. He was still not sure about her, but seemed to be warming to her. Sam was standing in the corner of the room, watching the vet glide around the room. Dean sort of felt like he was in the way and ached to make an excuse that would allow him to leave, but Cas was a big a cockblock as he was.

Amelia turned to Dean and nodded. "He's fine. Perfectly healthy. A bit on the small side though, but then he's several weeks younger than he should be if he's out of the nest."

Dean swallowed and mumbled, "I, uh, found him... Abandoned."

Amelia's face dropped, her brows came together and she stood slightly more rigidly. There was some clear worry in her posture, and that set Cas on edge. He whimpered, so Dean scooped him up. "Abandoned?" Amelia asked, her voice soft and horrified.

"Mm." Dean nodded, letting Cas bite at his hands. "He was soaked through, completely... I just picked him up and took him home." Dean smiled and pointed at his brother, "Sam made me keep him."

"I don't think Sam made you do anything." She smiled at him. She pointed at Cas, suckling on the hunter's middle finger. His sharp little teeth caught on Dean's skin every now and then but Dean didn't mind. He was sort of used to it now, in a strange sort of way.

"Maybe he didn't," he smiled back at her, "maybe it was just Cas."

"Yeah, he's a special little something." She ran her fingers over Cas's wings. "These should be white, which is why I suspect he was abandoned. Black wings don't go for much, they're too much like Lucifer."

"The, uh, devil?" Dean frowned. Cas is nothing like the devil, not at all.

Amelia quickly shook her head. "No, not him. His actual name was something else, but he was this angel prototype that... Sort of... Went insane? Didn't you hear about the big explosions at the lab they made these guys in?"

"I was, uh, busy." Dean shrugged, in reality, he'd been busting his ass through the southwest trying to track down the vampire covern that had pretty much wiped out a rival werewolf gang. He'd sort of passed the explosions off as lab stuff gone wrong, nothing serious.

"I'll catch you up on it." Sam murmured over his shoulder, "It was big news."

Amelia glanced up at Sam's voice and then immedietly back down at her feet. She was pink all across her cheeks, but Dean pretended not to notice it. Sam was stood next to him, his arms folded across his chest, reading one of the petcare posters for a pet he didn't even have.

The vet was scrawling notes down on the pad that she had picked up from the side table, a furious blush working its way across her cheeks. Both boys recognised it as a scrip pad, which really just meant that they'd have to spend a lot of money that neither of them actually had. Cas squirmed in Dean's arms and made a small whining noise, bored now that the vet had stopped entertaining him. Sam's playful nature got the best of him and he broke the somewhat awkward atmosphere by playing with Cas' wings and making a snappy hand at the little angel's nose. Cas giggled and pushed Sam away. "No Ssam!" he squealed, giggling and fluttering his wings.

Amelia held out a prescription form to Sam, because Dean's hands were full. "Give him some of this with his morning milk... It's just to replace what his mother can't give him any more." There was an array of tablets on the list, which would be really annoying to have to sort out. Sam made a mental note to give the job to Dean. "And get him onto some sort of sleep schedule as soon can."

"Thanks Amelia." Sam smiled.

Dean turned to leave, but just as Sam reached the door Amelia called out. "He's not the only one." Sam looked over his shoulder at her, she looked agitated and upset. "Cas isn't the only abandoned angel in the last few weeks... I, there's one in the pound... Could you... Maybe take another one?"

Dean looked down at Cas, into his big blue eyes. The angel nodded viciously, like he could understand what she said. "Pleasssse."

"Please." Dean correct him, more out of habit than anything else. He looked over at Amelia, her fingers were interlocked and she was gnawing at her lip. The curled strand of hair that found it's way over her shoulder only added to the sense of desperation that both hunters felt from the young woman.

"I know its a lot of work... But, I think you two could do it. You're the only people I trust enough around here to suggest this to. And if... if he doesn't get a home, they're going to put him down." There was a break, in which no one said anything. Amelia flushed a bright pink. "I'm sorry if it was too forwards."

"No, it wasn't." Sam turned to face her, his scowl now traced with concern. This was the big animal lover Sam, the one that didn't think there was ever a reason to put an animal down. Dean felt a twinge of pride. "Not at all. What's this one like?"

"A few months old, not very strong... He's injured, not just physically. It's quite bad." Her face was clearly upset, but she wasn't meeting either of their eyes. "I wanted to take him, but I wouldn't be there to spend enough time with him."

"What's his name?" Sam asked, curious now.

"Gabriel."

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really sorry for the all the glaring inaccuracies in this. If you find an abandoned animal, I would strongly recommend not doing anything like what I've put in this fic.
> 
> Also I'm an awful human being and I haven't actually written the next chapter yet so you'll have to wait a while.


End file.
